Laois gets €760,000 for remote working hubs and community facilities

More than €760,000 is in the pipeline to develop remote working hubs and other facilities in four Laois communities.

Some €766,652 has been allocated for improvements to towns and villages around Laois under the Town & Village Renewal Scheme.

Killeshin in the south east of Laois is the biggest recipient. It's getting €500,000 for the Killeshin Digital Hub. The proposed project will result in the second phase development of the Killeshin Community Centre. This will involve the installation of a digital hub / hybrid workspace to accommodate 20 people who wish to avail of remote working facilities in Killeshin.​

Another remote working facility that also provides venues for community events is also getting more funding. A total of €137,552 is on its way to Mountrath. The proposed project will result in the development of a number of vacant rooms in the Bloom HQ Digital Enterprise Hub, for educational and arts purposes.​

The facilities in the former Brigidine Convent School have been transformed in recent years thanks to substantial public investment.

​​Camross is getting a further €33,250 to enable the completion of the Camross Community Park and Hub. These are two key projects included in the Camross Development Plan 2019. They will provide outdoor recreational and remote working facilities for the local community.

The project received €50,000 under the CLÁR grant scheme in 2021 while the community has also raised substantial funds to deliver the project.

Knock village is getting €95,850 to develop a vintage style Men’s Shed on a currently dis-used site.

Laois Offaly TD and Minister of State Seán Fleming welcomed the news which he said is part of the Government funding to breathe new life and combat dereliction into rural towns and villages.

"I want to congratulate the local organisations who made applications for funding under this scheme.  The quality of the applications were exceptionally high and I know these 4 local communities are ready to go with these projects immediately.

"The Killeshin Digital Hub Project will be a tremendous boost to this expanding area and will provide substantial additional employment through this new hub in the Killeshin Community Centre," he said.

The funding was also welcomed by Laois Offaly Government TD Charlie Flanagan.

“This funding is extremely welcome news for rural Laois. I congratulate the community leaders and volunteers involved in these projects which will bring much needed development to rural areas in the county.

“These initiatives represent excellent value for money and will ensure smaller towns and villages across the county are more attractive and sustainable places in which to live. The funding will bring town and village centres back to life and will focus on remote working areas as well as tackling dereliction which is a scourge on the streetscapes of many towns and villages," he said.

Laois communities urged to tap into €7 million fund that can make a big difference

Dep Flanagan added that  a further call for applications under the Town and Village Renewal Scheme will be announced in the coming weeks. He urged local authorities and communities to come forward with more plans for their areas.

Laois Offaly Green Party Minister of State Pippa Hackett also welcomed the money.

“Some really interesting Laois-Offaly initiatives are being funded under the Town & Village Renewal Scheme. You have digital hubs in Killeigh, Killeshin, and Mountrath, a Men’s Shed in Knock and the looped river walk in Clonbullouge. This mix says we want enterprise, activity, and recreation in our towns. Our people are coming up with the ideas and as the only cabinet minister from the region, I’m glad to see this Government supporting them,” she said.

The Minister for Rural and Community Development, Heather Humphreys TD, announced almost €18.5 under the Town and Village Renewal Scheme.

“Many of the  successful projects I am announcing today will see vacant and derelict town centre building such as old banks, garda stations and convents transformed into community, cultural and arts spaces. 

“There is also a strong focus on remote working projects in this round of funding and I am pleased to see that a number of counties have set out ambitious marketing plans aimed at attracting remote workers to relocate," she said.

WHAT is the Town and Village Renewal Scheme?

Department of Rural and Community Development EXPLAINS

It is part of a range of measures to support the revitalisation of rural Ireland. The programme is funded under Project Ireland 2040 as part of “Our Rural Future “

Our Rural Future is the whole-of-government policy for rural Ireland for the period 2021-2025. It represents a new milestone in the approach to rural development policy for Ireland and adopts a more strategic, ambitious and holistic approach to investing in and maximising opportunities for rural areas.  The first annual progress report for Our Rural Future has now been published on www.gov.ie.

TVRS is funded by the Department of Rural and Community Development and is administered by the Local Authorities.

Since the introduction of the Scheme in 2016, almost €94million has been approved for more than 1,300 projects across the country.  

It has supported a range of activities from improving the public realm to job creation initiatives such as the development of enterprise hubs and remote working facilities. These projects have been identified by local community groups and businesses, in conjunction with their Local Authorities.

The priorities of the 2021 Town and Village Renewal Scheme included:

             Projects that bring vacant and derelict buildings and sites back into use as multi-purpose spaces.

             Projects that bring vacant properties in town centres back into use as remote working hubs. This includes funding for the repurposing of existing community or publicly owned buildings in town or village centres to facilitate remote working. 

             Projects to develop parks, green spaces and recreational amenities in town centres to make them vibrant hubs for community enjoyment, and to increase footfall for local businesses.

             Marketing campaigns targeted at attracting remote workers and mobile talent to their county/region; and promotion of specific town/villages to attract new customers and/or business investment.